CHLORINE

Chlorine is widely abundant in nature, with the symbol Cl and the atomic number 17.

Its name derives from the Greek "khlorós", which means greenish. In ELNOSA, Chlorine is supplied in bulk or in containers/bottles.

In contemporary Chlorine production, gaseous chlorine derived from sodium chloride electrolysis is cooled, filtered, dried, purified and compressed to allow for its liquefaction and storage.

In 1648, the German chemist Johann Rudolf Glauber was the first to detect it when heating wet salt in a coal furnace and condensing the resulting vapours. Not until 1774 was Chlorine isolated for the first time; the Swedish Carl Wilhelm Scheele described the gas, but he didn't realise it was an element. Later, in 1810, the English Humphry Davy identified and named it.

Chlorine is nowadays used mainly in water treatment and in the chemical industry, specifically in the manufacture of polyurethanes (MDI and TDI) and PVC. Chlorine is also used as a product to disinfect potable water and pools, in waste water treatment and in refrigeration, in the textile industry and in the paper pulp production.